On July 31, over 100 faith leaders and immigrant rights activists were arrested in front of the White House to urge you to end the inhumane immigration enforcement policies that are destroying families and fracturing our nation. Congress’s refusal to enact immigration reform has ensured that deportations of immigrants continue at an alarming rate. Only administrative action will stop the deportations now.

As you consider executive action to protect immigrant families, we implore you to include three things:

Stop deportations immediately. Every day, roughly over 1,100 people are being forced from their homes and sent back to countries of origin that many fled for fear of poverty, hunger, and violence. Deportations are not the solution to fixing the immigration system. Stop the deportations. Stop this injustice.

Expand deferred action to immigrant workers and families. You can use the power of the presidency to keep families together by granting deferred action as you did for the “Dreamers,” the children brought to this country by their parents seeking a better way of life for their families.

Protect unaccompanied children who have sought refuge within the United States border. Give the children who are fleeing violence in Central America due process hearings to be considered for refugee status.Detentions and deportations are not the answers. Mercy and relief for children desperate to escape gang- and drug-related violence are needed now.

The world waits to see how you will handle our broken immigration system. Will you take the first step to finding a humane solution?

As a nation of immigrants, we must stand on the side of love with immigrant families. As a religious community, we cannot ignore the moral call to help those who are suffering. And as citizens of the world, we must respect the inherent worth and dignity of all.

In faith,

Rev. Peter Morales
President, Unitarian Universalist Association

Rev. Geoffrey A. Black
General Minister and President, United Church of Christ

This letter was sent to the White House today, providing important follow-up to support the coalition of clergy and faith leaders who took action and engaged in civil disobedience to urge deferred action for the immigrant community and refugee status for children at the border on July 31, 2014.

“Children should not have to carry the burden of our broken immigration system.”
Bishop Minerva Carcaño, United Methodist General Council

Bishop Carcaño gets right to the point. Children, families and parents are suffering because our immigration system is badly broken. With every deportation of a parent, another child is traumatized, another family fractured and left in a swirl of grief, confusion, fear and trouble. In the last five years, over two million people have been deported with devastating consequences. Now, some elected officials want to deport the thousands of unaccompanied children arriving at our borders. That point of view is hard for us to comprehend. The children are coming here to save their lives. According to the United Nations, the majority of the children likely would qualify for international protection if they had access to attorneys. The thought of vulnerable children deported back to the violent and resource poor circumstances they fled breaks our hearts.

That is why we went to Washington, DC to participate in the “Pray for Relief : Not One More Family Separated” Action and Faith Summit on Stopping Deportations. We were there to urge President Obama to stop the deportations. Please support our action and add your name to this petition to the President. We brought our nine month old son with us to the rally because we know that we would cross a border to save his life, if we felt that were our only choice. Opponents of comprehensive immigration reform want to say this is a story about crime. We believe this is a story about love. We believe this is a story about parents, children and families who love one another so much they are willing to take incredible risks so that their families might thrive. As a queer couple, we know the fear of losing our child if something happened to one of us because we still are not seen equally in the eyes of the law. Our hearts break for the parents who have been deported away from their children. Our work for immigration justice comes from our faith that all families should know both justice and mercy and be held with love.

We saw that love in action at the Faith Summit and Not One More Deportation march. Evin was arrested in front of the White House with 111 other immigration justice activists and faith leaders from a variety of religious traditions. It was the largest ever civil disobedience at the White House for immigrant justice. Across the street, I, Melissa, and our son joined 600 supporters who sang, chanted, prayed and witnessed in support. I know that for Evin and some of the other faith leaders, the civil disobedience was a small risk. But, for the undocumented immigrants who participated, the risk of arrest was a bold one with so much more at stake. Many more undocumented people marched on Saturday under the banners of Not One More Deportation and Deferred Action for All and were joined by a Standing on the Side of Love contingent of 50 people. These banners were raised by pole climbers at Freedom Plaza in a bold action of civil disobedience.

Standing with the undocumented immigrants risking arrest moved me, Evin, to tears. Before our action, a Mexican man from Philadelphia stopped me with tears in his own eyes to say thank you. He said, “For so long we thought we were all alone.” The point of us being there was to stand with courageous immigrants caught in a broken system and take a stand to let them know they are not alone.

Carolyn Howe

It was a privilege for us to be in the company of so many passionate, faithful and courageous people last weekend. We know that there were lots of folks who were with us in spirit. An action like this is the work of so many. Carolyn Howe from First Parish Northborough in Northborough, MA was also arrested. On her shirt and hat she carried the name of each person who helped make it possible for her to be there so she could be wrapped in their energy. Each of us has a vital role to play—whether financially assisting others, spreading the news on social media, organizing meetings at home, or making coffee for those meetings. It truly takes everybody and there is a role for all, because none of us can do everything.

President Obama has signaled that he will consider taking executive action on immigration in light of congress’ failure to act by the end of this month. Please sign this petition to the President calling for Not One More Deportation. We must continue to join others in raising a moral voice in defense of children, parents, workers and families. Look for ways that you can reach out in love. Contact your congressional representatives and attend Town Halls while they are on recess to let them know what you think. Join actions at detention centers in your area. And if leaders in your community are considering offering shelter to unaccompanied immigrant children, we hope you will speak out to say they are welcome and find a way to make your welcome and support visible. Love is under attack. May we be love’s defenders.

Last Friday I had the privilege of meeting with President Barack Obama.

I was invited to the White House as part of a small group of Asian American-Pacific Islander (AAPI) business, community, and religious leaders. The meeting coincided with the beginning of AAPI Heritage month, an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of AAPI people to our nation.

The President had called the meeting to discuss the importance of passing comprehensive immigration reform. He and members of the White House Senior Staff noted that the legislation that had passed the Senate last year would be the most significant legislation that the House could pass in the next few months to revitalize the economy, rejuvenate the workforce, and strengthen the solvency of the Social Security Fund.

The President was clear-cut and forthright with us. He said, “Immigration reform is my highest priority”. He noted that the political landscape around immigration had significantly shifted in the last few weeks. Several Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), had come out publicly in favor of immigration reform and there being potential Republican votes in the House on individual immigration reform bills. The President sought our help for what he described as a “two month sprint” to pass immigration reform in the House of Representatives.

Asian American-Pacific Islander business, community, and religious leaders gather at the White House

We also heard from the President about providing administrative relief from the ongoing impact of detention and deportation that are tearing families apart. His staff shared that a review of immigration enforcement policies was underway in the Department of Homeland Security.

When I got a turn to speak, I thanked the President for his strong commitment to immigration reform and said we’re ready. I shared that Unitarian Universalists have been working with other progressive, interfaith, and immigrant justice partners for many years for comprehensive immigration reform; that Standing on the Side of Love’s “have a heart” and “keeping families together” messages have been very effective in mobilizing people to call or write to their representatives in Congress; and that we continue to be deeply committed to working to put pressure on House Republican members to support comprehensive immigration reform. I also shared that families need relief now and that we are supporting their request for executive action.

I came away from the meeting deeply moved by the President’s strong and genuine commitment to fixing the broken immigration system through legislative action in the next couple of months. And I was inspired by the group’s enthusiasm to work with the President and his senior staff to help make it happen.

So, what can we do?

We can work in local communities to reach out to members of the Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino/a, Arab American, African, East European communities and allies who have a stake in fixing the broken immigration system. We could make in-district advocacy visits and calls to their House representatives and put pressure on them to support HR 15.

If we do these things, and do them well, we have a really good chance of not only winning on immigration reform, but also energizing immigrant communities to continue working together on issues of mutual concern regardless of what happens in Congress this summer.

Our current immigration system, instead of welcoming the stranger, leaves families living in fear of deportation, prevents young people from achieving their dreams, and obstructs immigrants from sharing their gifts and improving the economy.

As religious people who believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, we are called to change this. We are being called to work together with other faith, immigrant, and community partners to encourage our lawmakers to take action. We have a historic opportunity to help create a pathway to belonging and hope for 11 million immigrant brothers and sisters.

Standing on the Side of Love is thrilled to announce our upcoming collaboration with the UU College of Social Justice. This fall we will join them on a delegation to witness and call attention to the human rights violations taking place on the US-Mexico border. We will meet with civil society and religious leaders on both sides. And we will continue to call for immediate action to stop deportations and for comprehensive immigration reform. Click here to learn more about their witness trips including the Mississippi Civil Rights Journey this summer. We’re pleased to re-post this reflection from UUCSJ’s Director, Rev. Kathleen McTigue.

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The long morning walk in the desert that stretches along the Arizona-Mexico border was eye-opening and heartbreaking. I was there a few weeks ago with a group of seminary students on our program with BorderLinks called “Theology and Migration.” We hoped to better understand the reality of these borderlands between countries and the many entwined justice issues that lead so many people to literally risk their lives — in the simple, essential search for work.

We walked through a stunningly beautiful landscape, filled with spring birdsong and blossoms, the horizon formed by sharp desert mountains. But the sun, harsh terrain, and lack of water made it a profoundly dangerous place to walk, even in broad daylight with sturdy shoes. We were warned to watch out for the cholla cactuses and even so, several of us got them caught in our shoes and clothing; they pierce easily and are very painful. The migrants who try to cross this desert do it at night, in cheap shoes that can fall apart in a matter of hours. For them, stepping on a cholla — or having the soles come off their shoes — can mean the end of their lives.

We learned that in this area over the past ten years, the remains of over 3,000 people have been found. Three thousand human beings in ten years! And the desert is a big place: those are just the bodies that have been found. Volunteers with groups like Samaritans and No More Deaths mark the places where people have died with simple white crosses of wood or pipe, with the word desconocido — “unknown person” — and the year they were found. In an effort to keep others from dying, they go out along these migrant trails every day, carrying gallons of water and the willingness to bring those they find into town to a hospital — an act that risks a felony charge under current law.

We spent a full week in Arizona and Mexico, hearing stories from migrants, clergy, volunteers of many stripes, and immigration officials. We sat in on court hearings as migrants in shackles were sentenced to many months in prison because they were caught for a second or third time crossing the border. We prayed at the border wall, a towering steel structure surrounded by stadium lights, mounted cameras, and armed guards. We saw first hand the degree to which an issue of civil law has been thoroughly militarized: our borders are like a war zone.

Now I am back home in Boston, more determined than ever to add my own voice to the demand for immigration reform. I urge you to consider joining us in the coming year on one of these journeys to the border, orcontact us about scheduling a group from your congregation for this program. You will be moved, inspired and empowered — because no matter where we live, immigration justice calls us to action.

On March 30 women from several Unitarian Universalist congregations, including the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fullerton, actively participated in the UU Women’s Day of Action for Immigration by holding a vigil and 24 hour fast in Brea in front of Congressman Ed Royce’s office. During the vigil, with support from Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO), the women collected 90 signed letters asking Mr. Royce to use his influence in the House of Representatives for passage of compassionate immigration reform that 1.) values the human rights of immigrants, especially that families not be torn apart, 2.) gives Dreamers (young people, who through no choice of their own, were brought to the U.S.) the chance to pursue higher education and careers, and 3.) to offer a humane pathway to citizenship. Our country was founded on welcoming immigrants and providing opportunity for those leaving adverse situations, a tradition that should be honored.

Vigil activities included oral readings from published immigration research not often presented in mainstream media, music and singing of traditional social justice songs, and engagement of the public in discussion on compassionate immigration reform. Vigil and fast participants included a wide age range of women who are citizens and not People of Color, highlighting that immigration reform is not only an issue for Latinos, Asians, and other groups, but it is an issue that affects us all. The message is that a system that breaks apart families is itself broken, and that the inhospitality and cruelty shown to immigrants today weakens our nation’s soul. People of faith are called upon to stand with the vulnerable and oppressed, and to treat our neighbors as we would like to be treated. Our current immigration system disproportionately affects vulnerable women and children, burdening our foster care system (when parents are deported) and threatens the promising futures of students who have come to the US as children and consider this country to be their home.

At the conclusion of the fast and vigil, the group delivered the signed letters and photographs of the event to the staff in Mr. Royce’s office. Although his official scheduler was contacted many times (by email, phone, and in person) during the month before this event, in order to schedule a meeting with Mr. Royce or his designee for March 31st, no response was received from his office. The time is now to continue to push elected officials for the passage of compassionate immigration reform.